Death to the Feeble Masses

voidthrone

At immense risk to my metal cred, let it be known right off the bat that I’ve never learned to appreciate or enjoy overly dissonant metal. That is why I approached the assignment to review Voidthrone’s debut album Spiritual War Tactics with slight unease and trepidation. Although I respect its cerebral nature and modus operandi of challenging the listener, in my ears dissonant metal usually devolves into a quasi-academic exercise in frustration that sounds marvelous only at the level of grand theory. The lack of catchy riffs, meaty hooks and cathartic release evokes a feeling of experiencing colossal constipation when suffocating in an overcrowded New York City rush hour subway train with failed AC on the warmest day of summer, while the tie around your neck begins to feel like a noose and you can hear your fellow passengers grinding their collective teeth in anger and frustration. Hence this young destruction crew, formed in Seattle, Washington in early 2016, faced an unenviable challenge of dispelling my prejudice and convincing my sonic sensibilities. Could they hope to succeed where scene veterans have largely failed? Continue reading →